SHIELD Academy: The Farmboy and the Genius
by scotchwithasideofass
Summary: Steve Rogers, a simple farmboy that just moved to New York, has been accepted into SHIELD Academy on behalf of his abilities. The city life and large buildings are all new to him, but he tries to adjust as best as he can. He gets his classes and runs into another student, the first impression not being the best, yet Steve is willing to push past and make friends. *R&R Please*
1. Chapter 1

SHIELD Academy, one of the most prestigious private schools in New York City, stood tall in the midst of the buildings off to the side that outlined where business started and ended. The students there were all enlisted into the school by applying for the programs and classes, and only those that were accepted met the criteria. Most that were admitted had a high intellect or had shown promising attributes that would make them future business leaders or could lead successful lives later on when they work. Many of the people that graduate from the Academy carry the school's well-known name with them and are able to get into any college or university of their choosing.

A very select few number of teenagers were actually sent forms to them, telling them they were accepted to the school without any need for interviews, applications, or recommendations. Those children themselves were accepted because they all had characteristics that the school either wanted or needed for other programs that were affiliated with the school's curriculum. Out of those children, they were accepted either because of a massive intellect that had stood out in their previous schools and the administrator of that school had sent a recommendation without telling the teenagers in question. But with that being said, it wasn't just intellect.

Those that had displayed exceptional strength, flexibility, stamina, or any attribute that would stand out amongst others in a positive way, were also recommended, the Academy then having to go through grades, classes the teenagers had taken, and anything else that would make a difference so that they would not be admitted. There were many things that could make the school send the acceptance letters themselves, but only few ever received them.

But why was Steve Rogers, a simple farmboy at the age of seventeen from the rural parts of New York, standing outside the entrance of the school then, looking up to it as if the school had eyes? The answer to that would involve a little diving into the boy's past.

When Steve was young, his parents were involved in the army, fighting overseas and serving their country any way they could while Steve stayed with close friends of theirs on the family's farm. At age five, Steve's parents had been Killed in Action, leaving him without a mother or father and soon to be up for adoption. But the couple that were watching over him when his parents were killed decided to adopt him themselves, the boy living on the farm and helping out whenever he could.

Growing up, though, Steve was at a loss with helping much at the farm. He had become a small, scrawny, and rather sickly boy when he became older, making it easier for him to get sick, and harder for him to help out. Harvesting was more than a chore for him and the winters always left him bedridden with a cold or the flu. It was a hard life for him to live, but he kept pushing, kept doing his best and trying to make himself seem useful, even if it only hurt him in the end.

One day, though, when Steve was at the age of sixteen, while he was looking through the paper for a job he could take up so the farm could make some more money when he found an ad that was asking for volunteers to come to the city and to a medical center. The pay was very hefty and seemed to be a lot just to go to a medical center, but Steve decided to try with it anyway, walking to the nearest train station with his inhaler and taking the train into New York City. He looked around for a good bit until he found the medical center in question, walking in to find a good many men there applying for the same experimentation. Intimidated at first, Steve wanted to walk right out and go back home, but the farm needed the money more than anything, and he was willing to do whatever he could. Though he was small, he was determined.

So he took a form, filled it out, and one by one, men were called in and sent away until Steve was the last one left in the waiting room. He was called in and greeted by a middle aged man with glasses, the man's eye widening to him as he looked to the boy. At first, he had thought that it was a joke and asked who sent him in there, but Steve went on to explain how he was there for the testing and the money, how the farm needed it and he was willing to do anything for the facility. The doctor, who introduced himself as Dr. Erskine, kept telling him to leave, and eventually, Steve did. But he was persistent with what he wanted.

Every day, after school, Steve would walk to take the train and go to the facility, meeting with Erskine every time after the interviews were finished. Every time he asked if they found someone to take the experiments, and every time he was met with the same answer that kept giving him hope and making him come back.

No.

After a few weeks of doing this, getting well acquainted with the people in the lab and Erskine himself, the doctor had given in, asking Steve if he was really up for what was to come. Though the lab could get into a lot of trouble for letting a minor take do what they were planning, and Erskine told this to Steve numerous times and had to run through all of the staff to ask if they were fine with this, but Steve held his ground. Later on in the process, he went through a series of tests to see where his stamina, strength, and abilities were at, the data being collected to see what would happen. After collecting the data, Erskine called Steve back one day, where it was finally going to begin and the real explanation of what was going to happen to him started.

Calling in another scientist by the name of Howard, Steve had forgotten the last name afterwards, both scientists explained to Steve that what he was going to go through was something that was being designed for soldiers, a super serum of sorts. They were going to try it out with the Army's soldiers themselves, but were denied by the commanding officers of the quadrants because they were all fit enough and did not need any enhancing. Of course, though, the serum would enhance them even more, but nothing would convince them. So, they had to have evidence of what the serum would do before they could convince said officers. And with Steve, there would be a dramatic improvement if it worked. If it didn't work, there would be no change at all, so it wasn't as if his life was on the line.

Even so, he had to be signed off for all of this, the good Christian boy actually forging the signatures of his guardians because he knew they wouldn't allow it. But the lab still took it.

On the day of the experiment, he was brought into a different facility and told to strip to only his pants so he could go through the process completely. He was set on this, he was excited. Not only would he possibly be getting stronger, earning all the money, and even some more, he was also serving his country in a way. If this worked for him, it would work for the army as well.

Soon he was strapped in and injected with something that would help with the pain, he was told penicillin but he could have heard wrong. Needles attached to pads that were hooked up to a machine that would inject the serum into his body were placed along his arms and chest, not yet piercing the skin before it began. Howard stood off to the side and started up the machines when Erskine gave him the 'go', the needles then piercing and pressing into Steve's body as it injected the serum. The pain Steve felt was tremendous, but he was able to deal with it quietly, only wincing at the odd feeling of the liquid being sent through his whole body. But when it really kicked in and a chamber closed around him so the rest of the experiment would take place, it became excruciating. Though he screamed, he said he could do it, and continued, feeling as if he was going to pass out at points. But once it was done and the pain abruptly ended and subsided, the chamber opened up to reveal a new Steve.

He had grown in height and strength, seeming older than he was by maybe two years. Anyone that had seen him just then would have never thought he was the scrawny boy that once came in and begged Erskine to let him do this. After the injection of the serum, he was taken back to the medical labs, running through a few tests to see what had improved. His strength and speed increased tenfold, along with his stamina shooting up to an exceptional status as well. His lung capacity was phenomenal and the ailments he had before were all gone, making him the epitome of health and physical fitness. Erskine ran him through what he needed to do so they could see if what he went through was going to be permanent, sending him back home afterwards and with the money he had earned.

There was a lot of explaining to do when he got home, but his guardians accepted it, knowing there was nothing they could do now. But how they viewed Steve was never the same again, even if they loved him like he was their own son. He did not have to explain anything when he went back to school and ignored the questions he was asked, but the teachers took note of the difference and talked to the administrator. The administrator had come in and observed Steve for a bit, noticing everything and sending in a recommendation to SHIELD Academy as he thought Steve would have a better chance of actually going somewhere in the world in that school than in the rural area where he lived.

All the while, Steve was clueless to what was going on, going through what he needed to and making sure that the experiment was a success and did not regress with time. Instead of regressing, though, his strength increased bit by bit, making him stronger than any and all teenagers his age. After the time period in which Erskine had told him to observe any changes within, Steve headed back to the lab, only to be shocked at what he had found. Not long after he had left, it seemed that one of the men that had been turned down for the experimentation had come in and shot Erskine in a rage and anyone in the lab that had helped out, leaving the project inconclusive and trashed. With no Erskine, no formula, and with no formula, there was nothing that could be submitted to the army. And there was no way for him to find Howard after that, only being sent home to brood over the loss.

All of this had taken a year, from start to finish, and by the time everything was done with, Steve was turning seventeen and he was sent a letter of acceptance to SHIELD Academy, having to go and talk to the administrator to know what all of it was about. Once he was told, discussed this with his guardians, and told to take up the acceptance and go to school there, Steve complied, moving into the apartment the school was paying for him not long after and getting settled in.

Now he was staring up at the building itself in awe and making his way to the front door. His heart was pounding as the earbuds plugged into the small, portable radio played country music into his ears, his feet carrying him up the steps of the high school and through the front doors. Just as he was opening the double doors, though, another boy, looking just around his own age yet a few inches smaller than him pushed past him and made his way into the school on his own. Steve opened his mouth to apologize for being in the way, but the boy was gone. All Steve saw of him was that he had short, dark brown hair that stuck up, and what looked like the start of a goatee on the other's chin. Whether it was markered on or the other was trying to grow it himself, Steve couldn't tell, but would ponder over it later, not knowing if he would see him again.

No, instead, Steve went straight to the counselor's office to ask for his schedule and where his first class was. When the sheet of paper was handed to him, he was surprised at how all of the classes were laid out, the classes seeming to be doubled in time and split up so that you would have one set the first semester and the others in the rest. Needless to say, Steve was confused. But, thankfully, it was the beginning of the year for the school and everyone in it so he would have a lot of time to get used to it. Leaving the office once he was finished with getting situated to everything, Steve looked around the halls as the first bell rung, indicating that everyone needed to start making their way to the classes they were in by now.

He took a deep breath and slowly made his way down the halls, finding his locker first and putting his book bag in it, looking to the piece of paper that had his lock combination and trying it out once just to see if it worked. When it did, Steve shut the locker door and made his way to the first class he had, Anatomy and Physiology Honors with Mr. Pontzer in room 113A, carrying a binder, a notebook, and his sketchbook that never seemed to leave his hands. As Steve made his way to the room, he looked to the door and took a deep breath as his hand grasped the handle, opening the door and stepping inside. He was greeted with a boisterous room full of other Juniors and Seniors in the school, desks that sat two people to one and had chairs that not only looked uncomfortable sitting in, but probably felt it as well. Steve just stood off to the side as he watched more people gathering around this one table near the back of the room, a faint blue light seeming to peek through the holes as people shifted around it. It was too noisy for him to try and get close to see who or what was there to be causing such commotion, but he didn't have to stand back for too long before the second bell rang and the teacher, or who he thought was the teacher, walked in with papers in his hand. The teacher walked right past him before stopping and looking back to Steve.

"Are you the new kid?" he asked Steve, earning a confused look before Steve nodded to him and stepped forward.

"Yes, my name is Steve Rogers," he said before shifting his books to one hand and holding out the other for his teacher to shake. Mr. Pontzer just looked down at the hand before grasping it and shaking it.

"I'm Mr. Pontzer, your Anatomy and Physiology teacher. Just stand up here while the others make their way to their seats and I'll see which one is free for you." Steve nodded and stood where he was as the other students started to sit down, the crowd around that one table starting to disperse and spread out. When enough people had left, Steve looked to the student sitting down there, his feet up on the desk and his chair leaning back as the other rocked in place, earbuds now in his ears as he drowned himself in music. Steve narrowed his eyes slightly to the student as he looked familiar, then realizing it was the kid that pushed past him when he was entering the school. He was able to get a better look at his face now, the student looking younger than he thought at first and the goatee seeming to be a poor start to making one. It was definitely real, but there was not much to work with there.

"Steve," Mr. Pontzer said as he waved a hand in front of Steve's face to snap him out of it.

"Huh?" he said jumping back slightly. He had never met a teacher that was so upfront like that, so the mere action just shocked him a bit.

"I called your name three times and you didn't answer me," the teacher responded, students laughing quietly in the background to it. Steve's face flushed in embarrassment as he nodded, looking down at the ground slightly.

"I'm sorry." Mr. Pontzer raised an eyebrow at how Steve was being so polite, only to roll his eyes and clap a hand to his shoulder, actually having to reach up a bit as Steve was an inch or so taller than him.

"It's fine. But I found you a seat. Tony!" he shouted, the kid that Steve's eyes were on in the back jerking in his chair slightly and looking to the teacher.

"Is class starting already, Pontz?" he said, smirking slightly before popping an earbud out.

"Yes, it is. Now get the earbuds out, your iPod off and your phone on silent or I am taking it all away and failing you for the day." The student, supposedly his name was Tony, made a face of disapproval, yet did as the teacher said before Mr. Pontzer turned back to Steve. "Unfortunately, you have to sit next to him. If you want to switch seats, just tell me, alright?" Steve was confused at how Mr. Pontzer said that, but nodded anyway before making his way to the desk where Tony was at. He set his books down at his seat and sat down himself, looking to the student next to him and smiling.

"Hi, I'm Steve Rogers," Steve said, holding a hand out to the other. The student only looked to Steve and raised an eyebrow before rolling his eyes and leaning back in his chair.

"Name's Tony. So, you're the new kid?" he asked, not bothering to look to Steve as he spoke. Furrowing his brows at the other's rudeness, Steve sat back in his chair and took out his sketchbook, not opening it just yet, but just if he had some free time during the class.

"Yeah. I just moved into the school district. Hey, I just want to apo-"

"Nice. Well, it was awesome talking to you, Newbie, but if you don't mind, I'm going to sleep now," Tony said before lowering his head to the desk and closing his eyes as he wrapped his arms around his head. Steve looked to him, the smile he had on his face having dropped as he was completely baffled. This kid was completely rude to him, interrupted him, ignored him now, and was going to sleep through class. Sighing slightly and sitting back in his chair, Steve looked to the front of the room as Mr. Pontzer started to write notes on the board, taking his notebook out and recording them as they were being written.

Great start to a new school. Steve was hoping that he would make friends, some at least, and try to get on good terms with Tony. He was one to push being friends because what was the point of having enemies if what was between them was just something stupid.

But, he would just have to see how it would all turn out later on.


	2. Chapter 2

Getting a head start at the homework that Mr. Pontzer handed out to them close to the end of class, Steve was hunched over his desk, looking through his notes and trying to find the answers to the second question. Tony, the, rather rude, student that sat next to him at the desk, was still asleep, quiet snores being audible if Steve were to stop writing and actually listen. The way that Tony treated Steve when he tried to apologize for being in the way of the door that morning was downright distasteful. But, Steve would do his best to try and push past that so he could make friends with the other.

As he got close to finishing the first side of the homework sheet that was given to the class, the bell signaling that first period was over rang. Students all around the room started to gather their things and rush out the door, Steve following in suit as he closed his notebook, placed the papers in his binder, and gathered his sketchbook as well. Looking up to see that the room was almost fully clear, Mr. Pontzer started to make his way towards the desk, looking to Steve before Tony.

"He's still asleep?" Mr. Pontzer asked, narrowing his eyes to the dark haired boy.

"Yeah… Is… is he always like that?" Steve asked as Mr. Pontzer went to the closest shelf, grabbed three of the biggest books he could and another he held in his opposite hand.

"Yep. A few weeks into school, and he already starts this crap." Steve was shocked to hear the mildly vulgar language coming from a teacher's mouth, but shook his head and looked to the book in Mr. Pontzer's hand as he held it out to him. "Here's your textbook for this class. Although I give a lot of notes, you will still want to look through to get a good idea of what we're going over." Nodding and taking the book in his hands, Mr. Pontzer moved Steve aside slightly before holding the three, large books in his hands, slamming them down as hard as he could on the desk and making a noise loud enough that Steve almost jumped out of his skin. Tony jolted awake and his arms flailed as he fell from his seat, glaring up to the teacher.

"What the fu-"

"Finish that and you're going to the principal's office. How many times have I told you not to sleep in my class, Stark?" Tony groaned and rolled his eyes to the teacher, rubbing the back of his head as he stood up.

"Yeah, yeah, you and about every other teacher in this school." Steve furrowed his brows slightly as Tony said that, only to look back to Mr. Pontzer and open his mouth to ask him something.

"Um, do you think you can tell me where I might find my next class?" Steve asked the other as he fished around his notebook for his class schedule. Once he found it, he handed it over to Mr. Pontzer who looked and read where it would be.

"Creative writing?" Mr. Pontzer said, Tony snickering to the side and looking to Steve as if he was crazy. Steve furrowed his brows and ignored the laughter, looking back to the teacher as he started to speak again. "It's on the first floor of the B-wing with Mama Swan."

"Who?" Steve asked, raising an eyebrow at the name.

"Mrs. Swanick. That's what everyone calls her. I suggest you get on her good side, though," Mr. Pontzer said as he handed back the schedule to him.

"Uh… alright… where might the B-wing be?" Steve asked, not understanding how the school was made at all. Mr. Pontzer rolled his eyes and looked to Steve, then looking to Tony out of the corner of his eye and smirking.

"Why doesn't Stark here show you around so you can get a feel of the school?" he said, earning a shocked look from Tony and for Steve to furrow his brows again at what was said.

"No! Why do I have to show Newbie around the school?!" Tony exclaimed, throwing his arms to the side slightly. Steve was shocked at how Tony responded, not thinking that it was such a big deal.

"It's either that, or I am giving you a Saturday detention for every time you have fallen asleep in my class." Tony huffed at that and glared to the teacher before grabbing his books and starting to walk towards the door.

"Come on, Newbie," he stated angrily, Steve looking to Mr. Pontzer before following Tony.

"My name is Steve. Please don't call me Newbie," Steve said to Tony as he followed him out the door.

"I'll call you what I want to," Tony replied to him, earning a small glare from Steve as he walked onward. "Anyway, I guess I have to show you around. Pontz will hold that threat to me until hell freezes over." Steve sighed slightly and followed Tony as he kept walking ahead of him turning round corners and going through different doors leading into different hallways of the school. The silence that had fallen between them seemed almost unbearable to Steve as there was a tension behind it, walking up closer to Tony and tapping him lightly on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Hey, I just want to apologize for getting in your way this morning," Steve said, smiling slightly to him to try and make amends.

"What?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow to the larger teen.

"This morning, I thought I got in your way because you pushed me aside when entering the school." Tony looked at him dumbfounded before rolling his eyes and shaking his head.

"Whatever. You keep thinking like that you're going to get eaten alive." Steve's smile faltered at what was said and his brows furrowed as he looked down to Tony, wondering what he meant by that. Tony looked back up to Steve to see that lost puppy look, sighing slightly and leaning over to nudge against him. "Don't give me that look. Dammit, why are you so innocent?" The taller teen could only look at him with more confusion, only to shake his head and smile slightly as Tony had seemed to nudge him almost with a friendly attitude.

"Well, anyway, thank you for showing me around. Even though you were forced." Tony just looked back up to him and rolled his eyes before stopping in front of a classroom.

"Yeah, whatever. Here's your second period class with Mama Swan. After this is Study Hall, so you just go back to your first period class before you can sign up to be somewhere else. Since I'm going to be in Pontz's room anyway, I'll tell you where to go afterwards." With that, Tony waved Steve off and started walking towards his own class, leaving Steve to stand there and just watch him.

'What…?' Steve thought to himself as he made his way into the classroom and sat down at one of the empty desks at the front of the room. Sighing to himself as he shook his head to try and gather himself again, he took out his drawing sketchbook and began to draw, starting out with a few base lines before detailing it more. The bell signaling that class was beginning rang out and the teacher walked in, introducing Steve to the class and explaining what the course was about. Steve paid attention all through the class and started writing prompts when they were told to, finishing parts of his drawing whenever he had the time.

Nearing the end of class, they were given 20 minutes to work on whatever they wanted, Steve putting his notebooks away and finishing up the drawing he was creating. With one last stroke of the pencil, Steve looked to the drawing and sat back in his chair, having drawn a portrait of Tony, well detailed from the hairstyle he wore to the start of that awful goatee. Steve picked up his pencil once more and drew a little question mark next to Tony before setting it back down on his desk. He sat back in his chair and covered his face with his hands, groaning slightly as he tilted his head back to stare up at the ceiling.

"That guy… I don't understand him…" Steve sighed out before closing his eyes and dropping his hands to his sides.

Tony Stark, one of the most confusing people that Steve had ever met, and he was trying to make friends with him. His first impression was that of someone Steve would come to dislike, but hearing as he was at least somewhat willing to help him out with school, albeit that Steve may have just been misunderstanding everything, he didn't seem all that bad. It seemed Steve would just have to get to know him better. Friend him. Do something so that he could understand Tony and maybe get on /his/ good side.


	3. Chapter 3

As the bell rang and signaled the end of second period, Steve let out a soft sigh and opened his eyes, looking back down to the drawing he had made before closing the sketchbook. He gathered his notebooks and binder before standing and making his way out of the classroom. Once he was outside of the room, Steve looked around, completely baffled at all of the students there, not recognizing any of the surroundings. It was then that he realized he had paid no attention at all when Tony was leading him to his second period classroom. Letting out an angered sigh, Steve leaned his back against the wall and ran a hand through his hair, messing it slightly as he looked around to try and find where he was.

'So this is the B-wing and my first class was the C-wing? Wait, where was I? Jeez…' he thought through in his head before rolling his eyes at himself and placing a hand on his face to cover it a bit. This was pathetic, especially for him.

"Oi, what's with the gloom and doom?" Steve heard a familiar voice call to him, only to turn his head and see that Tony was walking towards him, an eyebrow raised and his hands shoved into his jean's pockets. As much as the first impression of Tony confused him, and why he was here now even more so, he was glad Tony was here to help.

"Uh, well I… Eh…" Steve muttered out embarrassedly, flushing slightly and rubbing the back of his neck. "I… didn't really pay attention when you led me to here…"

"I know. It's why I came back." Steve stood there, baffled for the umpteenth time that morning, and looked to Tony, wondering how he knew. Tony only rolled his eyes and shook his head to the larger teen before walking past him. "If you want me to show you back to Pontz's room, you better follow." At hearing that, Steve snapped from his stupor and followed after Tony, clutching to his notebooks as he made his way through the crowded hallways once more.

"So, that's where I have to go for Study Hall?" Steve asked as he stood right behind Tony and followed him, occasionally looking around now to try and remember his surroundings. Tony looked back over his shoulder and to Steve before nodding and looking in front of him.

"Yeah, until you can sign up for where you want to go. You go online and to the website, sign in where you can see your grades, and sign up for where you want to be every Study Hall. This school runs on a six letter week, even though we have five days of school a week, meaning no week is ever the same as the next. You get used to it after a while, though," Tony explained to Steve, the farmboy just looking to him, more confused than before.

"Uh… okay?" he said hesitantly, getting another look from Tony before the other rolled his eyes at him again.

"It would be easier for me to show you on the website itself. But, for now, I need to look at your schedule so I can help you out more and my job can be over with." Oh, so that was it. Tony was just trying to help him out as much as he could so his 'job' could be done without wasting any more of his time. Steve nodded slightly and sighed, looking down to the ground as he continued to follow Tony. Tony just looked back to him and raised an eyebrow again, rolling his eyes once more and stopping short. The larger teen almost ran into him and had to stop on a dime so as not to, the smaller of the two spinning round to face him and crossing his arms over his chest.

"There you go with the gloom and doom again. What's up with that?" Tony stated bluntly, narrowing his eyes to Steve as he looked to him. Steve's eyes widened at that look and his mouth hung open slightly, trying to think of something to say in response to that.

"Well… It's nothing… just… I don't know, thou-"

Steve was cut off as a loud 'Tony Stark!' cut through the halls, the smaller teen whipping around to see who it was. A blonde haired, very skinny and provocatively dressed in Steve's opinion, girl came walking up to the both of them, an angry pout very visible on her overly make-upped face.

"I can't believe you!" she screamed to Tony, the teen not seeming to care much as he shoved his hands back in his pockets and looked to her.

"Ally, I told you a week ago that I was breaking up with you," Tony responded to the girl nonchalantly, the look on her face and how she was carrying herself nearly screaming dumb blonde with selective hearing.

"No you didn't! And now you are cheating on me wi-with her!" the girl screamed before bringing a hand back and letting it fly forward. Before it could connect with Tony's cheek, Steve reached his hand out and grabbed her wrist, stopping her hand short and narrowing his eyes to her.

"I don't know anything about what you are talking about or if he deserves that, but a complication such as that does not deserve a hit. So please don't." As Steve said that, he let go of the girl's hand, the blonde staring up to him completely baffled. Tony was sharing that look as well as he looked up to Steve, shocked that the larger teen helped him like that. With a small pout from the blonde girl, she turned around and huffed off, letting out a loud, angered groan as well. People were gathered around the two and were watching everything happen, Tony snapping from his stupor and looking around at the crowd. Rolling his eyes, he grabbed Steve's wrist and pulled him out of it and towards Mr. Pontzer's room.

"Okay, next time, don't interfere. I get smacked on a weekly basis. And you're the newbie here, so don't attract too much attention to yourself," Tony said as he pulled Steve forward.

"I'm sorry, but I just don't like bullies. I would never hit a girl, much less anyone else, but I couldn't stand by and let her smack you." Tony stopped pulling Steve forward as he said that, looking back to the teen over his shoulder before shaking his head and letting go of his wrist.

"Goddammit, what is with you?! First you apologize for me pushing you aside, and then you thank me for doing something I was forced to do, now you are keeping girls from smacking me in the face! You're too nice!" Tony exclaimed, looking back and almost glaring to Steve. Steve was surprised by the sudden outburst and by how he said all of that, his mouth gaping open as he was stunned and baffled. Tony scoffed and shook his head before shoving his hands back in his pockets and walking forward. "Just follow me, alright? Damn, first day leading the new kid around and it's someone like you… My luck…." Steve just took a deep breath and followed Tony again, clinging tightly to his books.

"Look, I'm so-"

"Don't apologize again! God fu- just stop!" Tony shouted as he spun around and looked to Steve. "No one is this nice, this innocent, unless they are faking and trying to get something. So just drop the act! No one is buying it!" With that, Tony turned back around and walked off, Steve just standing there in the middle of the hallway and watching him walk away. Those outbursts, Tony himself, it was all so confusing. He came from a quiet farm where nothing happened, and now, with the buzz of the city and people that were so outspoken, it shook Steve up. Running a hand through his hair, Steve looked around as the hallway looked somewhat familiar, wandering around a bit before finding Mr. Pontzer's room. Steve walked into the room and looked around, seeing new faces and Mr. Pontzer at his desk. The teacher raised his head and looked to Steve, raising an eyebrow to him.

"Hey Steve. Is Tony refusing to show you around anymore?" he asked, not seeming very surprised when Steve looked down and shrugged before walking towards his desk.

"I think I got him angry, actually," Steve said, leaning against the whiteboard and looking to Mr. Pontzer. The teacher sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, leaning back in his chair as he looked to the larger teen.

"He's got a quick temper so don't take him all too seriously. What did you do to make him so mad anyway?" he asked Steve.

"Well… This girl came up to him in the hall and started yelling at him and then tried to smack him. I just reached forward and stopped her from doing so and he dragged me away and told me not to do that kind of stuff… then I apologized and he just yelled at me and I really don't know. He confuses me so much," Steve explained to Mr. Pontzer, only getting a sigh and a nod in return.

"That's Tony for you," Mr. Pontzer replied to him. "I've known him for two years now and he's never liked help from anyone. Felt like it was, I don't know, offensive. But, don't worry. Just try to get along with him as much as you can or I can have someone else show you around." Steve let out a small sigh and shook his head, looking up to the ceiling as he rested his back full against the white board.

"Thanks, but no thanks. It's because he confuses me that I want to find out more about him," Steve said. "Figure him out and try to understand him."

"That might be good for him. He probably needs someone to do that for him. He has a group of friends and a new girlfriend, but I don't think anyone really /truly/ understands him." Steve nodded before moving back to the seat he had sat down in first period, Tony walking into the room just as he was sitting down and walking up to Mr. Pontzer. Steve watched as he handed him a slip of paper, Mr. Pontzer crumpling it up and tossing it in the garbage. Tony started to back talk him and Mr. Pontzer only kept quiet until he was finished. Once he was, the teacher pointed to Steve's direction and Tony looked, narrowing his eyes and gritting his teeth. Steve raised an eyebrow as they continued to have it out for each other, Steve rolling his eyes before resting his head down on the desk. It was only moments later before he felt someone kick at his desk, moving it slightly and making Steve jerk upright in his seat.

"Wha?" Steve said as he looked up to see Tony standing there his arms crossed over his chest.

"Get up," he almost spat at the other, "You're coming with me to the gym. I got a pass to go there and Pontz said that you have to stick by me for the rest of the week or I am getting Saturday detentions for the rest of the semester." Steve looked past Tony and to Mr. Pontzer, the teacher only laughing slightly before turning to his computer and ignoring the two. Looking back up to Tony, the smaller teen only sneered before turning and heading towards the door. Steve scrambled to get his books and got up from the table, walking quickly after Tony to try and keep up with him.

"Hey," he said as he got closer, "I just… I just want to-"

"Don't say anything. I don't want you to talk to me, don't look at me, don't even breathe in my direction. You're up to something, I can feel it." Tony kept walking forward as he said that, only to earn a small sigh from Steve as the larger teen shook his head.

"I'm not up to anything. I promise you that. I am just trying to make friends and I don't want someone I met on the first day to hate me like this for doing something I had no clue might have been wrong." Tony stopped short just as he did before, turning around to look up to Steve as he stopped behind him. His eyes scanned the other as he crossed his arms over his chest once more, cocking an eyebrow up before pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Just make friends? A guy like you?" 'Like me?' Steve thought as the other said that, wondering what he meant. "But, whatever. You have to hang around me for now so maybe…"

"Maybe we could be friends?" Steve finished, earning a small sneer from Tony before he turned back around and started walking.

"I never said that. Just follow me." Steve followed Tony after he said that, Tony leading him to the gym in no time and signing in with the teacher that was there. The two of them had to explain that Steve was following around Steve because he was new, the teacher buying it and letting Steve go in. With a small sigh of relief as that was not as bad as he thought it would be, Steve walked with Tony as they headed towards a small group of people sitting at the bleachers.

Maybe there, Steve would try to make some more friends.


	4. Chapter 4

Steve looked over to the group as Tony was leading him towards it, seeing only two girls mingled in with the group of about three other boys. The girls both had reddish hair, one of the girls wearing it shorter and curlier than the other, who seemed to look as if she should have been in college. Not only did she look as if she should be in college, she dressed as if she had a professional job already. It didn't bother Steve, but he had never seen another girl her age dress as she did. Actually, he hadn't seen many girls dress anything like he had seen that day at all. At least those girls had some decency in clothing themselves, unlike the girl that had tried to slap Tony not too long ago. It looked as if she was one that was easy to get rolling around in the hay.

Shifting his gaze over the other boys there, Steve raised an eyebrow at their appearances, all three boys looking completely different from the next. The tallest one in the group, looking to be just about a few inches taller than Steve, had long blonde hair and a very strong build, but the face of an innocent boy. The second tallest one, just a bit shorter than Steve but taller than the other boy there, had somewhat short, curly, dark brown hair, more on the skinny side than the first boy. That teen sat off almost to the side, pushing his glasses up on his nose before writing something in the journal in his lap. The last boy was the shortest, looking to be around Tony's height with short brown hair that kinda stuck up.

Steve shook his head slightly and shifted his books to hold it in the other arm as that group shifted their gaze to look at Tony. The large boy smiled and walked over before clapping a hand to Tony's shoulder, knocking him forward slightly with the force of the clap.

"Friend Tony! Is your chest feeling well?" the boy asked as he smiled down to him. Tony groaned slightly and shrugged the other's hand off before stuffing his hands into his pocket.

"I'm fine, Thor. You smacking me like that doesn't help too much, though." The large kid only laughed and rubbed the back of his neck in response.

"My apologies. I did not mean to hurt you." As the other said that, his eyes moved to Steve and his smile dropped slightly, Steve's body tensing at the eye contact and with how the boy seemed to be puzzled with him. Without realizing it, though, the group had slowly made their way towards them, all the other's standing behind the boy. "Friend Tony, might I ask who this is standing behind you? I have never seen him before in this establishment."

"Dammit, stop talking like that, alright? I can't take you seriously," Tony responded before looking back to Steve. "Everyone, this is Steve," he said as he looked back to the group. "He's the new kid. Pontz has me showing him around." The large kid's smile picked back up as he said that, then moving to Steve and clapping a hand to his shoulder as well, the strength that this kid had in that one touch knocking him forward a bit.

"You are Steve? It is very nice to meet you, friend! I am Thor, King of Asgard!" As Thor said that, he looked to the rest of the group, confused at what he said.

"It's a nickname we gave him with the way he talks and how he acts," the shorter, curly haired boy said as he closed his notebook and walked forward, holding out his hand to Steve. "My name is Bruce." Steve smiled slightly to the other and grasped his hand with his own, shaking it and earning a smile in return. Tony looked to them and rolled his eyes before pulling out an electronic, placing the headphones in his ear and sitting down on the bleachers where the group was.

"Um, I'm Steve," he said as he looked back to Bruce, the other teens in the group coming up behind him.

"So you're the new kid? Didn't think that you would be so big. Wanna try out for the archery team?" the short, brown haired kid said as he walked up and stood next to Bruce. One of the red haired girls, walked up next to the boy and poked him in the side, the other jumping and holding it.

"Stop trying to recruit people to the archery team, Clint." Looking back to Steve, the girl smiled slightly and crossed his arms over her chest. "Hi, my name is Natasha. And this bozo is Clint," she said as she pointed her thumb towards the shortest boy. Clint furrowed his brows and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling the girl closer.

"Her boyfriend," he said before flashing a smile to Steve. Natasha rolled her eyes and poked him in the side again before slipping loose from his hold and heading over to where Tony was sitting. Clint jumped again and looked to her before walking after her. "Aw, come on Tasha!" he shouted as he caught up to her. Steve only shook his head slightly before looking to the other girl as she stepped close to him.

"Hello Steve. It's nice to meet you. My name is Pepper," she said as she held a hand out to him. Without having noticed, Tony had come walking back up behind the group and towards Pepper, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close before resting his head on her shoulder.

"My girlfriend. So no going after her," he said, Pepper rolling his eyes and Steve just standing there, more dumbstruck and confused as ever. He wasn't used to people being so touchy feely like that, especially from where he came from, so having to witness it upfront was a bit baffling to him.

"Um, well it's nice to meet you, Pepper," Steve responded, only for Thor to boom out a laugh and clap a hand on Steve's shoulder again.

"Friend Steve! Why not come and sit down with us on those stands?"

"Yeah, you're welcome to come sit down with us," Bruce added as he smiled back to Steve. Looking to the both of them, Steve closed his mouth slightly and smiled to them, not having noticed that it was gaping with all that was going on around him.

"Thanks for the offer," Steve said before Bruce and Thor started walking back, Steve following in suit as Tony and Pepper talked behind them. Steve sat down next to Bruce as they got to the bleachers, Clint and Natasha having earphones plugged into their ears already as they argued over what to listen to, Bruce opening his notebook back up and writing a few things down in there, and Thor looking to Steve as he shifted his notebooks to his lap.

"Friend Steve, because you are new to this school, I can ask where you have come from, right?" he asked, Steve not knowing if he was being polite or not with how he was asking, but smiling to him and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, I was born in Brooklyn but moved out and lived on a farm when I was five. I just recently moved here because I got a letter of acceptance." Bruce looked up from his notebook and to Steve as Thor continued to smile and leaned back on the bleachers a bit.

"So you worked with animals? Tell me, what kind did you have on that farm?"

"And what kind of equipment did you use on the farm?" Bruce chimed in as he pushed his glasses back up and looked to Steve. Steve looked to the both and rubbed the back of his neck as he shrugged.

"Well, we had cows, chickens, pigs, goats, and horses for animals. The pigs, chickens, and goats weren't that hard to take care of, and the cows were rather easy to feed, but the horses were more difficult. We had a horse drawn plow because that was all we could afford, but we also had a tractor and baler for the hay we grew."

"What a bountiful farm! Was the harvest good for you?" Thor asked as he clapped a hand on his shoulder once more. Steve winced slightly before sighing and looking down.

"It had been good. Until one year… but since then, it's been better. I wish I was there to help, though." Bruce, noticing that this seemed to be a somewhat touchy subject, reached behind Steve and tapped Thor on the arm, shaking his head as Thor looked to him. Looking back to Steve, Bruce smiled to him and tried to change the subject. As he opened his mouth to ask what kind of tractor Steve used on the farm, Tony made his way back over, an arm around Pepper's waist as she walked next to him.

"Hey, what's with the doom and gloom again?" Tony said, making Steve look up to him and his brow furrow as he saw his arm around Pepper's waist. It didn't bother him, other than finding it somewhat indecent.

"It's nothing. And could you please not say that?" Steve replied as he took a deep breath and sat back a bit.

"I call it as I see it." Tony holds his hands up in defeat as Pepper rolls her eyes and pushes away from him, Tony looking to her and furrowing his brows slightly. "What? I do." Pepper sighed and sat down next to Bruce, looking over to Steve.

"So you came from a farm? That's pretty neat. I hope you fit in well here." She smiled to Steve and he smiled back, nodding and chuckling softly to her.

"Thanks. I hope I do as well. Tony said that I will be eaten alive, thou-"

"Acting all innocent like that, you will," Tony butt in as he sat down next to Pepper and wrapped an arm back around her. Pepper poked him in the side and Tony laughed slightly before leaning in and kissing her on the cheek.

"He's not going to get eaten alive, Tony," she said, Tony laughing again and shaking his head to what she said.

"Yeah, maybe he won't get beaten up, but he might actually get ea-"

"Tony!" Bruce and Pepper shouted to him before he could finish that. Steve looked to the three of them, sharing the confused expression that Thor was wearing as he overheard that as well. Steve turned to Thor and asked if he understood what they meant, Thor shaking his head and shrugging in response. Sighing slightly and pinching the bridge of his nose, Steve looked back to the three, Pepper's and Bruce's faces flushed as Tony laughed at them.

"Um, anyway, how long is Study Hall?" Steve asked, Pepper and Bruce looking back to him as Tony kept laughing.

"It's only 45 minutes long and it should be over soon. What class do you have next?" Bruce asked, Steve looking through his notebook and finding his schedule to read which one he had.

"Uh, Strength and Condi- Oh, I have it in here," Steve said as he read out what class he had for third period.

"That is excellent!" Thor boomed as he, for the umpteenth time, clapped a hand to Steve's shoulder. By now, where Thor was smacking, the skin was starting to get sore and hurt with each time Thor touched it. Steve made sure not to let it show, though, even as he flinched.

"Why?" he asked, turning to Bruce, Tony and Clint as they looked to him.

"Well, we all have that together, then. And it's really in the weight room, but it just says that it's in this gym," Clint answered as Bruce nodded.

"Yeah. All we do is work out and stretch. It's kind of a lazy class," Bruce said, Thor laughing and nodding as it seemed he remembered something.

"Yes! And Tony plays this 'I work out' song every day. It is most amusing." It was then that Tony started laughing again, shaking his head as Clint chuckled and Bruce placed a hand on his face.

"I have to remember to have you sing that for me one day, Thor," Tony said as he looked to Thor.

"I would happily oblige, Friend Tony!" the larger kid boomed once more before Tony was set into another fit of laughter. It was the first time Steve had heard Tony laugh that day, but he was glad that he didn't seem mad at him anymore. Steve opened his mouth to ask what the song was before the bell signaling Study Hall was over rang, everyone starting to grab their stuff and make way towards the doors. Tony, Bruce, Thor and Clint all stood and Steve followed with them as they walked to the stairway connected to the gym.

"If you're going to ask about the song, you'll see," Bruce said as he walked next to Steve, shaking his head as Tony walked next to Thor and talked to him about singing it. Steve raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly before nodding to Bruce and entering the boy's locker room.


	5. Chapter 5

Walking into the boy's locker room, Steve looked around at the interior, seeing red lockers lining every wall and a door leading to what seemed to be an office. He looked to Bruce, Tony and the other's as they headed to their lockers, then turning to the door and knocking on it before entering. Steve peeked his head in and looked around the office, a smaller, yet well-built man sitting in a chair right near a computer that rested on the desk. The man looked up from his computer and looked to Steve, raising an eyebrow before standing up. Steve didn't know if it surprised him or not, having gone through the tests he had to become like this making him taller than he should be, but this man was almost half a foot shorter than him.

"Are you Steve?" the man asked, picking up a clipboard and looking to what seemed to be the attendance sheet.

"Um, yeah. My name is Steve Rogers. I'm-"

"The new kid, I know. Well, you're wearing sneakers," the teacher said as he looked to Steve's feet, "so all you need is a uniform for class, then." The teacher headed to another door that was in the room and opened it, pulling out a white shirt and black shorts from it before tossing them to Steve. Steve caught them in his hands and looked to the teacher as he walked back towards him and held out a hand. "I'm Mr. Boyd, your Strength and Conditioning teacher. Your class is very small, since it seems no one else wanted to take this class, but it doesn't matter. Just go into the weight room once you are done changing." Steve looked to his hand before grasping it and shaking it, then almost getting pushed from the room as Mr. Boyd closed the door again.

Absolutely confused as to what just happened, Steve started to walk towards the lockers, the door to the office opening again and Mr. Boyd peeking his head out.

"Rogers, I forgot to give you something." With that, the teacher threw Steve a lock with a piece of paper attached to it, telling him the combination of the lock on it. "Your locker is number 704." As soon as he said that, he slid back into the office and shut the door, Steve shaking his head as this school just seemed to confuse him more and more as the day went on. Sighing softly, Steve looked through the lockers until he found his number, placing his books in it and looking to his uniform. He unfolded it and picked it up, the size seeming to be right for him, but he could never tell. Placing them down on the bench, Steve grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled it up over his head before folding it up and placing it in the locker. Without having noticed, Tony and Clint passed by where he was changing, already dressed in their apparel, only to stop and look at Steve.

"Damn, did you get those on the farm?" Clint said as he walked up behind Steve and moved next to him, leaning against the lockers. Steve's face flushed as he had no clue what was going on, only that someone he was only just acquainted with looking at his body.

"U-uh, what?" he stuttered, Clint rolling his eyes and poking his arm in response.

"These muscles! Did you get them working out on the farm you lived on?" Understanding what he was saying now, Steve opened his mouth to say something, only for his face to darken as he thought of how he got them and everything that happened. He closed his mouth and looked down, his hands dropping to his sides.

"That's… a story for another time…" Clint raised an eyebrow as he said that, opening his mouth to ask why until Tony, having destroyed his shirt by cutting it so much and turning it into a white muscle shirt, came up behind Steve and raised one of his arms up.

"Damn, how much can you lift?! And why don't you have any chest hair? Are you into waxing?" Tony asked, smirking to Steve and chuckling to himself. Steve furrowed his brows and looked to Tony, opening his mouth to say something before seeing a soft glow coming from the other's chest. Taken aback by suddenly seeing that, Steve pulled his arm back and stepped back, his mouth hanging agape as he stared to Tony's chest.

"Y-your chest! Why… how… What?" he stuttered out, not sure how to ask why it was glowing. Tony rolled his eyes and shook his head before pulling the low cut of his shirt down enough to reveal this contraption that seemed plugged into his chest.

"It's my arc reactor. I had an accident not too long ago and this is pretty much keeping me alive," Tony replied as if it was no big deal. Steve couldn't stop staring at it, though, the soft blue glow from it mesmerizing him as he had never seen technology like that before. Without thinking about it, he reached his hand forward to touch the contraption, only for Tony to push his hand away and for Steve to snap back. "Don't even. Looking's free, but you gotta pay to touch." Clint and Tony laughed at that before walking away, leaving Steve there half clothed and confused. Shaking his head and going back to his locker, Steve put on the shirt that was given to him, the size actually being a bit too small and almost seeming skin tight against his body. He let out a small groan and rolled his eyes before slipping into his shorts, those seeming to be fine, yet a little form fitting in the back.

'Considering what I have seen today, maybe this isn't that indecent…' Steve thought to himself before sticking the paper with his lock combination in the pocket of his shorts and locking up his locker. He soon headed out into the hallway, looking around for the others. Steve saw them gathered in a small group and made his way over to them, unaware of the looks that the girls across the hall were giving him. Thor was the first to spot Steve as he walked over, smiling to the teen and walking to him.

"Friend Steve! The uniform seems to fit well. You are earning many looks for it," he said, Steve's face flushing at that and his mouth hanging open slightly.

"Wait, people are looking at me?" he asked as he looked to the others, Bruce sighing and raising a hand to his face as Clint and Tony laughed slightly.

"Yeah, the girls are ogling you. You might want to ask for a larger size," Clint said, Tony placing a hand on the other's shoulder and shaking his head.

"Let him stay in that. He will definitely get eaten ali-"

"Tony!" Bruce shouted, cutting him off just as he did before. Tony raised his hands in defeat and started to laugh again, only for Mr. Boyd to come from the boy's locker room and stand in front of them.

"Seems like everyone is here, so let's head in," the teacher said before unlocking the door to the weight room and turning the lights on. They all headed in there, Steve's eyes widening as he looked to all of the machinery in the room. His mouth hung open slightly as he had never seen anything like what they had there before, the various amount of weights also shocking him as well. He never got a chance to see how much he could lift, not knowing the exact weight of the bales of hay and all that, but he could find out now. He started walking over to the weights and picked up a pair of five pound ones, his brows furrowing as they lifted like he was holding nothing in his hand. Bruce caught sight of his confused look and walked over to Steve, leaning against the wall next to him as he looked to the larger teen.

"You alright?" he asked, Steve looking to him and lowering his hands as he did so.

"Yeah, why?" Steve asked, Bruce shrugging his shoulders as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"You had a look on your face that made you seem kinda upset," the other replied, Steve sighing slightly and shrugging his shoulders as well.

"Well, I have never really been in a 'weight room' so this is all new to me. Plus, Tony asking me how much I can lift is stuck in my head. I don't really know /how/ much I can lift."

"This is the best place to figure that out then. Just start picking up weights until you feel like you can go to the bench," Bruce said before pointing to the weight lifting bench near the middle of the room. Steve looked over to it and nodded slightly, raising an eyebrow as he saw Thor and Tony talking next to a set of speakers while Clint started up a treadmill.

"Um, what are they doing over there?" Steve asked, Bruce following his gaze and rolling his eyes before placing a hand to his face again.

"Oh no…" As soon as he said that, music started to play, Steve furrowing his brows as he listened to it. He had never heard this kind of music before, only having been surrounded by country music as he grew up on the farm and classic rock. Listening to the lyrics, Steve's brows furrowed more as he couldn't believe what he was hearing, his cheeks flushing slightly. Steve couldn't help but watch as Thor danced to it, Clint bobbing his head as he ran on the treadmill, and Tony standing off to the side with a hand over his mouth as he laughed.

"I work out!" came from Thor's lips every time it was said in the song, Steve's face heating more and his brows knitting together more. He continued to look at Thor like that before the lyrics 'I'm sexy and I know it' came along, Thor singing that as well and Tony bursting out into laughter. Clint started to dance as he ran on the treadmill, the teacher off somewhere else and not observing any of this. Steve dropped his weights and covered his deeply flushed face, shaking his head as he really couldn't believe what he was listening to.

"Oh my- is this what you were talking about Bruce?" Steve asked as he peeked over his fingers, Bruce pinching the bridge of his nose as he nodded his head.

"Yep… Hopefully, this won't go on for the full 60 minutes we are in here…" Bruce replied before going over and picking up the five pound weights Steve had, those being the only ones in the weight room and that he wanted to lift. Steve moved his hands away and grabbed the ten pound weights, feeling almost little to no difference between those and the five pound. He didn't let the shock show, though, as he looked back to Bruce, raising an eyebrow as he said the time period they would be in there.

"60? I thought each class was 80 minutes long," Steve said, voicing his confusion.

"Well, Boyd likes to give us some time to wash off if we worked up a sweat, so we stop early to hit the showers." Steve nodded to that and looked back to the weights, furrowing his brows once more as he looked through how heavy each was. He went to the heaviest there, being two 40 pound weights, and lifted them in each hand, having to strain very little with picking them up. To him, it was like picking up a medium sized, lightweight textbook in each hand. Bruce's eyes widened as he watched him, Tony looking across the room and the look on his face mirroring Bruce's as he watched Steve. The larger teen lifted the weights rather easily, very little veins showing on his arms and along his muscles as he lifted them.

"That's not normal…" Tony said as he walked over, Steve turning to him and raising an eyebrow before looking back to the weights in his hands.

"Yeah…" he said before resting the weights gently along the ground, then heading over to the bench. "Can somebody spot me?" Steve asked, Thor then smiling to the other and walking to the bench.

"I shall!" he boomed, Steve nodding as he lay down on the bench and grasped the forty five pound bar. "How much do you want on each side?"

"Twenty five," Steve said, Bruce and Tony heading over and raising an eyebrow as they watched him. Thor did as he was told and put that much on each side of the bar, then getting ready to catch if Steve struggled at any point. However, it was quite the opposite as Steve pulled the bar off easily and started to bench press it, having to exert himself more into doing it with the position and weight change, but still finding it easier than it should have been.

"More," he said, setting the bar down before Thor went off to put an additional twenty five pounds to each side. Clint had now joined in watching as Steve lifted the weights so easily, doing the same before asking for more. This was starting to feel strange to both him and those watching him lift, but he continued on until he had a good one hundred and seventy five pounds on each side, equaling up to a good three hundred and ninety five pounds altogether. Furrowing his brows and setting the bar back down, Steve sat up and looked to his arms, then to the others as they stared at him, Tony's mouth hanging open slightly.

"Um… guys?" he said, Clint being the first to shake the shock.

"Dude! That's awesome! You lifted almost four hundred pounds that easily without breaking much of a sweat! You seriously can't just say that is from growing up on the farm," he said, forgetting the reaction Steve gave him before when he asked. Steve sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, looking away as Clint asked him that again.

"It's a long story… but I don't feel like saying it now," he said, Thor clapping a hand to his back and knocking Steve forward a bit just as before.

"No need to worry then. You can tell us whenever you want!" Thor smiled down to him as he Steve looked up, offering a slightly pained smile as that clap hurt with Thor having done it over and over.

"Thanks… Maybe later." As Steve said that, he stood up and made his way over to the treadmill, starting it up and starting to run on it as he needed to distract himself. The other's just looked at him before breaking up to different parts of the room, starting to work out themselves as Steve tried to drown himself in exercise and forget about what just happened. He would have to find out all about his body and tell the others how he got to be like that some other time.


	6. Chapter 6

Steve stayed on the treadmill for the duration of the class period, Boyd coming back from wherever he had been, very unprofessional in Steve's opinion, and telling them to hit the showers. It wasn't that Steve was angry or irritated at anyone because they wanted to know how he got such strength, but he was bothered at the memories that came flooding back. Having gone through so much and then the doctor that he had gotten to know so well and helped him through the change being shot by one of the patients he turned away was not the best memory is Steve's mind. Along with not being able to find Howard and tell him his progress or even talk about what had happened only added insult to injury in his mind. And he did not wish to burden anyone else with what he had to go through and why he acted the way that he did, though it was unnecessary.

Being the last one to exit the weight room, Steve walked into the shower area with a full view of everyone else stark naked and rinsing off under the grouped shower heads. His cheeks heated up deeply as he looked to them, then walking past and towards his locker. Thankfully, he hadn't worked up as much of a sweat as he should have and so he didn't feel the need to shower off. No, instead, he took his time undressing, pulling his form fitting shirt off as he got to his locker and taking out the paper he kept in his shorts pockets. He spun the combination on the lock and opened up his locker, folding his tee shirt up and setting it down on the bench so he could take it back to wash.

As he did that, he also reached in to get his binder and notebooks, searching through for his schedule again and looking to see what the last class was. He stood there his back to the rest of the room as he read through the thing, unaware that Tony came walking by from the showers, one towel wrapped loosely and lazily around his waist as another, smaller one was wrapped around his shoulders. Tony looked to Steve as he passed by, raising an eyebrow before rolling his eyes and walking sneakily up behind him. Taking the towel from around his shoulders, he twirled it slightly to tighten it in a small coil before whipping it forward and at Steve's ass. Steve gasped loudly and spun around, his cheeks flushing deeply once more as he looked to Tony and backed up against the lockers.

"Hey, what is with the constant gloom and doom act?" Tony said as he stepped closer. "It doesn't fit you. You have the body and look of an American hero, so stop acting as if you could die at any second." Steve furrowed his brows slightly as the other said that to him so bluntly, but sighed and shook his head.

"You have no idea what I have gone through-"

"No, I don't. But you're the one that doesn't want to tell anyone of us about that, so we can't understand and know that some things might be touchy issues. Just stop, alright? I knew you had something up your sleeve." Steve glared slightly to Tony as the other said that to him, opening his mouth to say something back, but stopped as he didn't want to start anything.

"Alright… whatever," Steve said before starting to turn back to his locker. Tony only furrowed his own brows and grabbed the other's shoulder, pulling him forward and making the larger teen turn towards him so they could look eye to eye as he spoke.

"And here people tell me I'm stubborn. God dammit, Steve, just lighten up. Tell us whenever you want to, but don't take it out on us as well, alright? Don't just go off and pretend we aren't there because something was brought up that you don't want to talk about. I know you just met us all, but come on. You want friends and we're right here," Tony said, looking up to Steve and making a face that said 'You seemed better than that'. The first thing that went through Steve's mind was 'you have no right to say that' with how he was treated before, but, looking past that and seeing his intentions, Steve's expression of anger and discontentment softened. He looked down to the smaller teen as the other looked up to him, sighing slightly and rubbing the back of his neck.

"You're right. I had no right to behave like that. I'm sorry," Steve responded, Tony rolling his eyes and nudging his shoulder slightly.

"Yeah, yeah, don't beat yourself up too much over it. Anyways, you gonna grab a shower?" Tony asked as he wrapped the smaller towel around his head and dried his hair, then draping it around his shoulders, "or are you too scared to go nude in front of the rest of us?" As Tony said that, a smirk crossed over his lips as Steve blushed heavily, shaking his head and turning back to his locker.

"I would rather not… it's indecent." Tony scoffed and leaned a shoulder against the lockers as he looked up to the larger man.

"Indecent? You are more innocent than I thought you were. Just bring your own stuff with you and you will be fine." Tony stood back up and turned away from Steve, heading back to his locker before turning a head over his shoulder and looking back to him. "Oh, and don't drop the soap." Knowing that Steve would probably not understand that, Tony laughed and walked away, leaving Steve there baffled and confused.

"Don't drop the… what?" he said to himself before shaking his head and turning back to his locker. Wriggling out of his shorts and folding them back up, Steve proceeded to get dressed, gathering all of his books afterwards before closing and locking his locker up. He headed out of the locker room and looked around, earning looks from the girls once more and actually noticing them this time. His face flushed again and he head in the opposite direction before feeling something hit the back of his neck. Steve turned towards the source to see Thor, Tony, Bruce, and Clint standing there, Clint holding a rubber band up and smiling to Steve.

"Gotcha," he said before walking towards the larger kid. "Just practicing for archery. I was able to talk Boyd into letting us do that one day this week. It's gonna be real fun."

"It's only going to be fun for you, Mr. I shoot anything and everything that I can consider a target," Tony said as he punched the other in the arm and laughed. "But for us who either have no aim or no skill with it, it is just going to be some lame excuse for you to brag while you get all bulls-eyes." Clint rolled his eyes and shook his head before walking ahead and going up the stairs and towards the gym. The rest of them followed as Steve looked to Tony, only more and more confused with how he acted. It should not be possible for anyone to go through so many emotions and faces as quickly as that, but Tony made it possible. Rolling his eyes and smiling down to him, Tony looked up and raised an eyebrow, only for Steve to shake his head and nudge the other's shoulder with his own. Tony chuckled slightly and they walked into the gym, sitting at the bleachers they were at in Study Hall.

"So we have," Steve stopped and looked to the clock in the gym before looking back to the others, "10 minutes before lunch. What do you guys usually do?" Looking to the other's as they sat down, Bruce shrugged and opened his mouth to say something before Thor's hand came down and clapped on his shoulder once more.

"Why don't you show use what is in that sketchbook you have there?! You seem very fond of it with how much you keep hold of it," Thor exclaimed, all of them looking to the sketchbook now before back up at Steve.

"Yeah, why don't you?" Clint asked, inching closer as if he was going to take it away from the other. Steve held onto it more tightly and brought it into his lap, trying to keep it away from the sharpshooter.

"Sorry, but I would rather not…" he said, Tony smirking and reaching forward to lift up the first few pages he could get.

"What, do you draw porn in it?" he asked nonchalantly, Steve's face flushing deeply as he turned to Tony and looked to him wide eyed.

"Wh-what?! I… no! No!" he exclaimed, Tony snickering and leaning back against the bleachers as if he did nothing wrong.

"No need to get so offended there, big guy. I mean, it is perfectly normal if you are a good artist and draw po-"

"I-I don't!" Steve shouted again, holding his sketchbook to his chest. "I-I would never… It's just silly things… I used to draw the animals on the farm…"

"That sounds fascinating! You must show us sometime," Thor shouted as he smiled down to Steve.

"Yeah, we would like to see some of you drawings sometime," Bruce said as he smiled slightly up to Steve, ignoring Tony as he pouted, wanting to embarrass Steve further. Steve just looked to Tony as if he was insane, then shaking his head and looking back down to his sketchbook.

"Well… I guess I can show you some of the things in my sketchbook," he said almost shyly, Clint pulling slightly at it to try and get it free from the other's hands. Steve only held onto it more tightly and pulled it away from the sharpshooter, Clint backing off and holding his hands up in defeat.

"Alright, alright. But that would be awesome. Maybe during lunch?" the other said, looking back to the sketchbook and trying to plot for more ways to take it from him.

"Sure… why not?" he said, smiling slightly as the other's nodded.

"Maybe then we can see if you have p-"

"Tony, you finish that sentence, and I will make sure you regret it," Bruce said as he was getting sick of the other's comments, glaring to him and Tony deciding to back off after that. Steve chuckled slightly as he looked to all of them, feeling as if he was fitting in alright. Maybe these people could really be his new friends. By the time that he was going to say something to draw the attention away from Bruce scolding Tony any more, the bell signaling the period was over rang and everyone stood to head out for lunch.

The lunch period went by quickly, Steve having brought his own and the other's making fun of him as he kept refusing to show his sketchbook. Though Steve wasn't used to this, he was happy to have so many people talk to him in his first day of this new school, getting help from Bruce for his last class, AP Poly-sci with Costa, at the end of the lunch as they were both in it. The group split from there and Steve sat next to Bruce all throughout class, asking him different questions about the school when he could and how much he had missed with coming in only a few weeks after school started.

Needless to say, the first day was interesting and turned out much better than Steve thought it would be. After school, he hung out with Tony and the others at the front where there were tables, talking to them and asking more questions about the school. They all helped him as much as they could and taunted him as well, mostly that was Tony's doing but Clint joined in at points as well, making the end of the day much better than he hoped. He walked from the school when he was done and went back to the apartment the school helped fund so that he could stay close to campus grounds, not having enough money to buy one himself and not being old enough to own it by himself either.

As Steve walked through the door and looked around the apartment, he smiled at the layout of it. It wasn't too high tech for him, there being a lot of technology still but nothing too overwhelming, and it had a sort of air to it that was welcoming. He fell back onto the couch in the living room and set his books on the table in front of it, looking up to the ceiling before closing his eyes and smiling to himself. Steve started thinking of how the school days would go on from there, hoping it would be just as interesting, if not more.

He didn't know how right he was about that.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I know this chapter is a bit shorter, but this is where it starts to get good. At least, that's what I think.**

It had been three months since that blissful first day of school for Steve, and things were playing out very well for him. He became fully acquainted to the Bruce, Clint, Thor, Natasha, and Pepper, also becoming very close friends with Tony in the duration of that time period. At any point that they could, Steve and Tony could be found talking to each other, Steve either showing Tony some of his drawings, Tony showing Steve the stuff he and his father worked on at points, or the two of them just talking about things in general. It was very rare to ever find them apart.

Though these two were very close, Steve did his best to hang out with the others. Steve would talk to Clint about either sports or Clint would be teasing him, Natasha not too far behind as they were always together no matter what. Thor would usually either butt in or just ask Steve random questions at any interval or chance he found, the two of them growing close in a sense where they exchanged playful punches, Steve more trying to get back at the larger kid because of his painful claps on the shoulder. It wouldn't effect either of them, though, as they would just go on talking to each other. Bruce and Steve would also hang out at any chance they got, mostly to finish work from their AP Poly-Sci class, but also for small conversation. Steve did his best to try and keep up with some of the things Bruce said, the other knowing far more than Steve would ever dream of knowing. Even with Pepper, Steve would talk to her and they would just share small conversations between each other when he could. It was new having girls such as her and Natasha as friends, but Steve was happy with the group he hung out with.

As much as he tried to be with the others, though, Tony was always there to butt in and capture Steve's attention again. It seemed that no matter what Steve was doing, Tony was always either watching or trying to work his way into the conversation so he could be a part of it. Steve just put it off as Tony craving attention like he always did, Steve joking with him later about it and the two of them sharing playful punches and noogies later on.

Within the time that Steve had spent trying to get to know Tony, his understanding of the other was far from what he wanted. Tony was so random at points, he could change faces as quickly as one could snap their fingers, but he could also hold the same feeling for quite a while. Leave it to Tony Stark to hold grudges for weeks on end before forgetting all about it as well. Some things, though, he never forgot. And if he didn't talk about it or avoided it completely, /everyone/ knew it was taboo and something not to be touched upon.

At those points, Steve would do his best to cheer Tony up and try to get him happy again. Most of the time it would work, but Tony had his moments where nothing worked and he was just a ball of misery and depression. With all of his changing expressions, emotions, and feelings, Steve had noticed a subtle change in himself as well. As he helped Tony out and saw him through everything he had to go through, Steve had realized that something happened to him every time he helped the other out.

If Tony was depressed, Steve would feel his heart clench and a lump lodge itself in his throat before he tried to say something to help Tony out.

If Tony was happy, Steve would feel as if his spirit was lifted and he would be happy alongside with the other.

Frankly speaking, Steve was near emotionally and physically attached to the hip with Tony. They depended and relied on each other to the point where it almost seemed unnatural for two teenage boys. But it felt right to Steve. It felt as if he was really happy in this place, belonged to it.

So why did it seem almost painful for Steve when he went back to his apartment at the end of every school day? Why did it feel as if his heart was going into a cardiac arrest every time he saw Tony talking to another girl of wrapping his arm in a friendly manner around Clint or Bruce? These were things that Steve couldn't answer, was scared to answer because he felt it was wrong. He would have asked someone about it, Bruce maybe since he could keep his mouth shut unlike Clint or Thor, but he didn't want to risk embarrassing himself and making himself feel worse. So he just kept it to himself, went along his days just as he had and sticking close to Tony just as before.

But if that was the case, then why was Steve in this situation now?

It was a week or so till Christmas and Tony was holding a party for it to try and distract him from recent occurrences. Instead of either of them being out there and talking to other people, Tony was hovering over Steve as the other lay on his bed, Tony's hands at either side of his head as he leaned down and kissed the larger teen, alcohol present in the kiss as Tony was near drunk off of his ass.

How did Steve get to this spot? Why was Tony drunk and doing this kind of thing to him? These questions flew through Steve's mind as he closed his eyes, his hands curling into fists as he didn't know if he wanted to push the other off.

It's hard to believe that these questions could be answered just by looking back a month.

When everything started to change.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm sorry that it has been so long since I last updated this story! I've had some troubles trying to write down what was going through my mind, but it's coming back now. It's a lot of work and I'm also dealing with school, so yeah. But I will try to update regularly.**

"Clint, this is the- what, fifth time we've done Archery in the past month?" Tony said as he pushed the doors opened to the locker room, looking back to the archer wannabe as he shrugged.

"What, it's not my fault that Boyd just so happened to pick me as his favorite student." The archer chuckled and smirked to Tony as the boy rolled his eyes and sneered to him, then running a hand through his hair before pulling his shirt up over his head.

"Yeah yeah, kiss-ass. You have just had him for a class every year. That's it." Scoffing slightly and slinging his shirt over one shoulder, Tony walked off towards his locker to get his towel. Clint soon followed along as Thor, Steve, and Bruce filed into the locker room after them, Bruce sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose at the two's bickering as Thor and Steve spoke amongst themselves, the larger of the two looking somber and depressed.

"I have no clue what I should do… I feel like I should head back home and to my family," Thor said as he looked down to the ground, a soft sigh escaping his lips as he did so.

"I'm sure they would want you to stay here and keep studying. I know your brother ran away, but I'm sure he will turn up. You just have to have faith." Steve placed a hand on Thor's shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile, the larger teen only forcing a smile back to the boy as best as he could.

"I wish I could look at it like that, but Loki has always been a trickster. I can only imagine that he has gotten into some kind of trouble." Without waiting for Steve to say anything, Thor slid from under the other's hand and walked off to his own locker, leaving Steve and Bruce to stand there and watch him. Bruce turned his head to Steve and raised an eyebrow, opening his mouth to ask if Thor was alright, but from what he saw, he knew the answer to it already. In silence, the both of them walked off towards their own areas, everyone but Steve grabbing their towels to get showered.

Tony couldn't help but notice how he was skipping out on showers again, like he had been the whole time he had started coming to this school. Rolling his eyes, the boy walked over with his spare towel, twirled it around, and snapped it at Steve's ass, the teen letting out a gasp as he spun around and glared to Tony.

"Stark, I've told you not to do that!" he exclaimed as his cheeks flushed a light pink. As good a friend as he was with Tony, those little nuances really got to him and aggravated him. Tony only responded with a smirk and an eyeroll before letting out a small scoff.

"And I told you that you would have to shower sooner or later after this class. I mean, come on. You're always skipping." Yes, and that was because he hated the thought of showering so openly like that, and if he wore anything so he wouldn't be completely nude, Steve would either be made fun of, or he would have to cart around a sopping wet article of clothing the entire day.

"Look, how many times have I told you that I'm not going to use the open showers?"

"Stop being a girl, Steve!" Tony exclaimed as he huffed slightly and shook his head. "If you're not going to, fine, but at least give me a good reason."

Steve furrowed his brows and turned his back on the teen, going back to opening his locker so he could change. "Why won't you just accept the 'Because I don't want to' every time I say it?" And this was probably the umpteenth time that month that it had been said.

"Because it's a stupid excuse. But whatever." Turning his back on the other, Tony started walking back to the showers, Steve looking over his shoulder and to the teen. His eyes began to trace over the other's features, the subtle lines that showed off the muscles along the teen's back, the way his spine curved down and how Tony always seemed to lead with his hips as he walked, almost begging for people to watch him. Jolting from these thoughts with flushed cheeks, though, Steve turned back around and cursed internally, shaking his head at himself. Ever since he was young, he had been curious about these kinds of things, he used to have a crush on his best friend Bucky before he realized that the older friend only saw him as a kid brother. Along with that, growing up in a completely Christian area, he had been taught it was wrong for those of the same gender to like each other. Thanks to his adopted parents, though, he had learned to accept who he was.

But that didn't mean he liked looking at his best friend like this, thinking these kinds of thoughts as he watched the man walk away. He didn't know when they started, hell, he was sure that maybe it happened the first time he had seen him and really gotten to know him, but he didn't want to indulge in these thoughts too much. As if they would actually do him some good.

Sighing again, Steve opened his locker and got his clothes out, quickly changing before packing his stuff away and locking it, then heading out the locker room. He could almost feel eyes on the back of his head as he walked out, but he was too lost in his own thoughts to even think of turning around to see who it was. No, he just walked right up the stairs that led from the locker rooms to the gym and went to sit on one of the empty bleachers and wait for classes to change so he could go to lunch.

If he had only turned around in the locker room, though, Steve would have noticed that Tony was looking to him, confusion spread across his features as his brows furrowed before he went back to the showers. Steve usually wouldn't snap at him like that when he teased the teen for not showering with the rest of them, but lately, things had seemed to be changing between the two of them. Tony was as he always was, if not more nosy and joking with Steve, but the other in question seemed to be anxious and on edge for most of the time, making it hard for people to try and talk to him. Whenever Tony would ask, Steve would give a forced smile and say that it was nothing and that he was fine. But he knew better. He knew something was wrong. The only thing that bothered him was what that was.

"Has Steve seemed off lately?" Tony asked as he looked to the three other boys that were in the shower room along with him. Bruce and Clint turned their heads to look at him as Thor seemed lost in his own world, the young engineer deciding not to bother the Norse teen while he was like that.

"Whaddya mean?" Clint asked as he raised an eyebrow, Bruce nodding slightly to Clint as if saying that he was going with what he said.

"Yeah, is something wrong?"

"I don't know," Tony replied shrugging his shoulders. "He doesn't seem like himself. He's been antsy and kinda… I don't know, lost. Like he's not really there when you talk to him."

"Well, you have to remember that he only really talks to you. He's not all that quiet, but he's more open when you're around." Bruce shrugged his shoulders and ran a hand through his wet hair, loosening some of the tangles that always seemed to make their way into his curls.

"Really?" Tony had paid attention when he was talking to Steve, and actually listened to the boy more than he would listen to almost anyone else, but he hadn't noticed that.

"Yeah," Clint said as he turned off the faucet he was under and shook his head, flicking water everywhere just as he always would. "When I try to talk to him, he doesn't talk much. Same with Nat. He's quiet around the both of us and tends to just smile and nod most of the time. I know he's listening, and he does interact, but that's usually what he does."

Furrowing his brows again, Tony looked down slightly at the shower tiles in front of him, thinking over the information that he was just told. When Steve talked to him, all they did was interact with each other. The only times that Steve would smile and nod was if he had something to say afterwards. But most of their conversations consisted of pointless bickering that usually ended with laughter and teasing. Steve was never quiet and they both got along really well. But if that was the case, then something was really wrong with Steve. Maybe Tony himself did something wrong to upset the other.

While he though all of this over, Clint had coaxed Thor back to the real world to get him out of the shower so he would drown where he stood, the larger teen following Clint back to their lockers afterwards. Bruce had finished up and tried to tell Tony something, but the teen just stayed silent, pensive about what he was told and left to be the only one left. He finished up not long after and got changed, heading up to meet the rest of them as they all left without him. The most important thing now, he decided while he was showering, was to try and get Steve to talk to him, tell him what was on his mind.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Unfortunately, Steve seemed to be avoiding Tony as much as he could, sticking close to Thor or Bruce the entire lunch period. He would converse with Thor about what they were discussing before or ask Bruce something about class or what he was working on in other classes. After his little, what he liked to call the lingering looks, slip-up, he wanted to try and stay away from Tony as much as he could so the teen wouldn't notice anything and so he could sort himself out. But every time he looked over to the teen, Tony would be looking right back at him, a worried and confused look on his face before the other would go back to talking to Pepper or Clint. Steve couldn't help the pang of jealousy he would feel in his chest as he would watch Tony wrap his arm around Pepper's waist and kiss her cheek, cursing at himself before tearing his eyes away so he wouldn't feel anything.

But it still hurt. It was still uncomfortable and awful to feel it. Maybe one day, Steve would get over all of this. He would get over these feelings that would just worm their way into his mind, or he would change and maybe get a girlfriend or partner himself. Anything that didn't put his friendship with Tony on the line.

Meanwhile, across the table, Tony and Pepper were arguing, the girl trying to push Tony away as he kept trying to keep her close. Steve didn't catch any of this, and even if he did, he wouldn't think much of it. But the discussion going between the couple was creating an uncomfortable air around the two, foreshadowing that something was coming over the horizon for them.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I said I was going to update regularly, but that might mean things will be a day or two apart. Sorry for the inconvenience, lovelies, but my brain only goes so fast. . I hope you are enjoying it so far, though. And as a note to everyone who reads the author's notes I write and has been following this story, I have made some changes, a few drastic ones that change the story quite a bit, so you might want to read the chapters before this one. Sorry again, and thank you for your patience! Also, I'm sorry for what Steve joins later on, but my friends told me to do it and since I am in it, I had to. ^.^'**

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"You know, you really have to start paying more attention in class or you're going to get into more trouble," Pepper said as she walked next to Tony through the halls, the both of them heading towards the gym for Study Hall. Though that was their usual spot for the whole gang of friends to hang out during the forty five minute period with nothing to do, Pepper had a pass out to finish some work for her own science class. Group projects with people that didn't do the work were the worst, and she always seemed to be stuck with them. Now was the limited time she had, though, to talk to Tony and try to pick his thoughts. Recently, it had become a lot harder for either of them to talk and problems were arising, but Tony was keeping to himself, only making everything more difficult.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But the teacher's just don't understand that I don't need to pay attention to them. I already have been accepted to MIT and it's not like I don't do the work or have no clue what they're talking about." Tony's reply was short and sweet, yet the bite in his tone was more than noticeable to Pepper, worrying her more.

"That's not the point, Tony. You've been distant lately and I'm worried. You haven't been talking to me, you seem to be lost in your thoughts all of the time, and you only seem to try and really grab Steve's attention! Did something happen to make him not talk to you as much anymore?" And there was Pepper's maternal side that she always seemed to show whenever Tony was distressed. It wasn't even like a concerned girlfriend. She would always ask questions like a mother would ask her worried son. It was something Tony appreciated, but he also wasn't too fond of it as well. Not having his mother there be there for him, and Pepper almost seeming to fill her place in these situations was unsettling.

"I don't know," he said as they entered the gym, going over to the teacher there to sign in. Pepper sighed softly and shook her head before handing the pass over and explaining she had to be at Doctor Bish's room for a project. "I don't know what I did or said, but he's almost been ignoring me for the past few days." Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Tony turned his head to look to Pepper, smiling slightly at the reassuring smile he got from her. Though it wasn't as assuring as getting Steve to maybe talk to him again, it helped a bit. Pepper always seemed to know how to keep him sane and try to help as much as she could.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure he'll tell you, alright? But we aren't finished what we were talking about before, got it? I'm still mad at you." Tony groaned and nodded before Pepper rolled her eyes and walked off and out of the gym. The teenager shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and turned towards where the small group of friends was, smiling towards them as he walked over. Upon getting closer, however, he noticed that Steve was unaccounted for. Sitting down next to Bruce, the curly haired boy looked up from his book and to Tony, raising an eyebrow.

"Is Pepper not joining us today?" he asked as he marked his page in the book and closed it, setting it off to the side.

"She's gotta work on a project, hey, where's Steve?" Tony rushed what he was saying as he looked around for the missing teen before back to Bruce.

"He said that he was going to some meeting for an after school activity." Clint shrugged after he said that, his arms around Natasha's waist as he held his girlfriend close and they leaned back against the seats. "Got some idea in his head to join after the football game we dragged him to last Friday."

"Isn't it too late for him to join the football team?" Thor said, trying to interact even though his mind was elsewhere and worrying about his missing brother back home. He had been open about this with the rest of them after talking to Steve about it first, but was still under the storm clouds of worry.

"He didn't say what it was that he would be joining. Only that his Study Halls may be taken up every so often." Tony's heart sunk as he heard that, the feeling he had already about Steve ignoring him getting worse as he knew the other wouldn't be around him as much. It was bad enough that he was dealing with the shunning and Steve going to being a recluse instead of talking like he used to. Tony was about to open his mouth and complain, voice his distaste about what he was told, when Thor's cell phone went off. The teacher yelled at Thor and told him to at least put it on silent, the teenager shouting an apology before opening it and reading the message he was sent.

"Your girlfriend text you?" Clint asked as he looked to the larger teen.

"Yeah. Jane seems very excited. Supposedly, the squad is gaining a new member and they are coming here to show him what they do."

"Isn't that 'squad', what's it called, Color Guard, just cheerleader wannabes?" Tony said as he glared slightly to Thor, the teen not having interrupted him, but everything just getting to him and aggravating him only further. Thor returned the glare with one of his own before shaking his head.

"Jane has run me through the ground as she explained what they do and how they are anything but that. It supposedly takes more skill and strength." Tony rolled his eyes as Thor shrugged his shoulders, Bruce leaning back more against the steps along the bleachers as he craned his neck a bit to look to the larger teen.

"It's 'ran me into the ground', not through. And did she say who it is if it is so important to her?"

"No, but we shall see soon if they are coming in here to spin." And almost as if on cue, Jane came rushing in, a few other girls behind her as they headed towards the teacher with their pass to be in there and demonstrate what they did. The girl that came rushing in, though, made a beeline right towards Thor, almost jumping into his arms as she was bursting at the seams with excitement. Thor had to literally catch her as she buzzed in his arms and smiled widely.

"Thor! We have a new member and oh my god it's awesome I just can't contain myself this is so exciting we're going to have ten people on the squad now so we won't be excruciatingly small and you'll never –," Jane rambled on before Tony scoffed and rolled his eyes, Thor shooting another glare to him before looking back to his girlfriend.

"Calm down. I can see you are excited, but who might it b-"

"You might want to see for yourself…" Clint said as he looked towards the gym entrance, shock spread across his face as Natasha raised an eyebrow to what they were looking at. All three of the other boys followed their gazes, only to stop on two more people entering. One of them was a girl carrying a large black bag over her shoulder that held most of the equipment for the guard and a rifle and saber, the supposed captain of the squad. Average height, short black hair pulled up into a small ponytail with bangs covering her left eye, dressed all in black with black converse. She was the first to walk in of the two. But right behind her, Steve walked in with his books in hand, talking to the girl as he moved next to her.

Tony's mouth dropped open as he saw that, Thor looking back to Jane as she confirmed what they were all thinking. "Steve's joining!" She had only met him a few times before, but knowing that he was Thor's friend, she was more than ecstatic, especially for a boy to join the squad. "Isn't it so cool?! The squad's always wanted a boy to join, and now Steve's joining, and I'm sure we'll get him spinning just fine by the end of the month! With him, we might go up a division!"

"Jane!" the captain called out as she looked over to the group, the girl in Thor's arms turning and looking to her before jumping out and down to the ground.

"Sorry, gotta go." She gave a small peck to Thor's cheek before rushing off to the captain, everyone there looking over and noticing that Steve looked to them. He said something to the captain before putting his books down on the bleachers they were setting up at and rushing over to the others. He stopped in front of them and smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sorry I couldn't be here for Study Hall," he said as he looked to the other's feeling Tony's gaze without having to look to him as it was so intense. He knew that what he was doing to Tony was wrong and unfair, but he felt like he needed to distance himself before anything happened between the two of them that he would really regret. Tony only leaned back against the bleachers and crossed his arms over his chest, looking away from Steve and down to the ground as he gave him the cold shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, but you should have told us you'd be joining Guard," Natasha said as he pointed over to the girls.

"Didn't you want to join?" Clint said as he looked down to her, raising an eyebrow.

"Gets in the way of work. Anyway, what made you decide that?" Steve smiled again and shook his head while his shoulders shrugged, feeling embarrassed that this wasn't going to be kept to himself or just in the guard anymore.

"Well, I saw their performance at the football game with the band, and I thought it looked pretty neat, so I thought, since they're recruiting for their competitive season, that I might see what it's about," Steve replied as he shrugged his shoulders again. He seemed happy with his decision, and everyone began to congratulate him with what he was doing before he left for the demonstration, but Tony was far from happy. The young engineer wanted to be happy for the boy, hell, he was glad that Steve seemed excited to do it, but there was this gut wrenching feeling inside of him that upset him. Why couldn't he be the one to make Steve smile like that? Why did it have to be something like that to make him so happy? What did he do wrong? As soon as Tony noticed these thoughts, though, he pushed them from his mind, cursing at himself for even humoring the thought. He had a girlfriend, and he didn't have any feelings for Steve. It was just a friendship and Tony wasn't gay. Even so, why did he have to feel this way? Why did it hurt so much for him not to be the one that made Steve feel like that?


	10. Chapter 10

**There are very many apologies that I must make for doing what I have been in uploading asdjfkhdsjkh I apologize dearly that this is so late.. Tumblr RP blog and school and Color Guard, again I apologize for putting Steve in it but sorry I'm not sorry. Ehehe. Anyway, updates are slowly coming when I have the time to put them in. This story and another have to be updated as well as a new idea that's in my head. All will come in due time, however. Now, onto what I can manage to write.**

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There were always a lot of things on Tony Stark's mind. How to try and please his father, what he needed to make for his next class, the designs for a new electronic for the company after they had stopped manufacturing weapons after the 'accident', but what had seemed to be one his mind more and more was his friend. Well, was best friend but they had been growing apart ever since Steve had decided to join Color Guard. They used to hang out all the time, go see movies or play video games at his house, but once he joined this activity, the young genius refused to acknowledge it as a sport, their time shrank astronomically.

Steve would spend his lunch period in the gym with the captain, running through drills and dancing as if there was no tomorrow. He would complain about how strict she was, but when someone else said something about the captain, Steve was there to defend. Hanging out after school had stopped on Mondays and Thursdays, the practices running from when school ended to eight at night. Four hours of torture and no time for any freedom. And then there was the deal with Saturday practices. Eight hours in the school going over drills, work, anything that they needed to go over. And Steve had said they didn't even have their show yet!

Now, though Tony never had an actual beef with the guard and the girls on it, the captain despised him. Always dirty looks, glares, and he had no idea why they were directed at him. When Steve joined, the looks just got dirtier and nastier, even shooting sneers and grimaces as well. Tony had no clue what her name was, no clue as to who she was, but the jealousy that she was taking up Steve's time with him, or more accurately vice versa, kept boiling up and rising to the point where he would curse her out on a daily basis to the others. Sitting at lunch now, Steve missing from the group once again, today seemed to be one of those days.

"-Always trying to get him to spend more time with her, running him into the ground and exhausting him beyond belief. I can't stand how she looks at him either!" Tony fumed as he sat there at the table, leaning back in his seat with his arms crossed over his chest in a huff of rage. The rest of them had heard this enough times to last them through their entire lives, and though they would put their input in, Tony would ignore and just keep on going. It was getting annoying for him to do that, though, and they were getting pissed at him with each sentence that spilled from his mouth.

"She's looking at him like a captain is supposed to look after their teammates." Of course Clint had to try and shut Tony up for the umpteenth time that lunch period, but he was only brushed off once more, everyone else just not bothering anymore.

"She looks at him like a predator to prey! It's as if she's going to eat him up any moment!"

"I'm sure she won't. I don't think she's the type to hit one someone that quickly," Natasha said as she looked to Tony, only for the male to huff and roll his eyes to her.

"Don't judge a book by its cover."

"Like you're not doing that right now? I don't know why you two hate each other so much, but you're judging her more than you think we are."

"And why does that bother you if he manages to get a girlfriend in that sport?" That particular question shut Tony up, his lips pursing as he glared to Clint before looking down at the table. Why was he so upset if Steve was seeing other people and moving onto another group of friends? He had to think about that for a while, but when he did think about it, the answer never pleased him. There was always a nagging sensation at the back of his head that continued saying 'Mine. He's mine and I don't want anyone else to be near him'. And though that was a big part in why he was upset, he refused to dive deeper into his thoughts just to find out what the problem was.

"Because he deserves better than that bitch," Tony muttered as he kept his head down, arms still crossed over his chest as he seemed to be curling into himself. If his head was up and he was looking around to the rest of the people sitting at the table, he would have noticed they were looking to something behind him. The only thing that had brought Tony out to reality was a slam of a book on the table right near him. Jolting back and raising his eyes, the teen looked up to see Steve standing there, a frown on his face as he looked to him.

"I'd rather you not call her a bitch," he said sternly, then looking to Bruce and handing the book he slammed down over to him. "Thank you for letting me borrow this. It was great." That was all Steve said before he walked out and back towards the gym, shoulders tense as he made his way out of the lunchroom. Watching Steve walk out, the frown that he was given and the look in his eyes when he looked down to him, the disappointment that showed as clear as day made his heart sink, his chest clench, and his teeth grit.

The table fell into silence not long after, and when the silence was starting to become deafening, when Tony couldn't stand to sit there anymore, he got up and left, hands stuffed into his pockets as he headed towards his locker. Steve just had to come in at that moment, when he was at his weakest as he tried to make himself feel better about his friend joining something without him. It hurt to have the other look at him like that, to be talked to like he was. Another pain drove through his heart and he ground his teeth together once more, shaking his head as he walked through the halls. Something had to be done about their relationship. It needed to get back to what it was. How that was going to happen, Tony didn't know. But he needed to do something quickly. Christmas was coming up and people were expecting him to throw the usual party that the always held. Maybe Steve could come and he could try to patch things up? He could only hope.

* * *

Leah, Steve had learned the captain's name not long after joining and was finally able to remember it, had let the guard go early from lunch so they could go wherever they needed to. Because of this, Steve had thought that he could stop by the table, apologize to them and see how Tony was doing. The two of them were spending less time with each other every week, but he always made sure to try and see him whenever he could. Though Guard was fun, he still missed his friends, and only being able to see Tony in class, not even as much anymore with seat changes in their science class and their gym becoming more quiet, it wasn't enough.

These thoughts were on his mind as he entered the lunch room and started making way to their usual table, but the conversation being held there caught his ears and made him stop for a moment, brows furrowing as he listened in.

"-She's looking at him like a captain is supposed to look after their teammates."

"She looks at him like a predator to prey! It's as if she's going to eat him up any moment!"

"I'm sure she won't. I don't think she's the type to hit one someone that quickly,"

"Don't judge a book by its cover."

"Like you're not doing that right now? I don't know why you two hate each other so much, but you're judging her more than you think we are."

"And why does that bother you if he manages to get a girlfriend in that sport?" Steve's heart clenched as he waited for Tony to answer that question as he was asked, his mind swimming as to why the other would even care about who he was seeing. Maybe Tony cared for him the same way he cared for the other. Maybe they could have a chance together if it was anything more. But the answer that was given, what was said, made him stop in his tracks with that thought and frown, his mood turning south with the language and the shooting down of his hopes as he went over to give the book back.

"Because he deserves better than that bitch."


End file.
